Up to now, various hair dyeing devices have been proposed, examples of which are disclosed in the following patents.                1. Korean Utility Model No. 200270351 filed on October 2001 in the name of Esther Cos. Co., Ltd.        2. Korean Utility Model No. 200151735 filed on July 1997 in the name of Dong Sung Pharm. Co., Ltd.        3. Korean Utility Model No. 200151736 filed on March 1997 in the name of Dong Sung Pharm. Co., Ltd.        4. U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,534 filed on October 1999 in the name of Montec Products Development Ltd. (Ill.)        5. U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,546 filed on August 2001 in the name of Montec Products Development Ltd. (Ill.)        6. U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,476 filed on January 2001 in the name of The Procter & Gamble Co.        7. U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,909 filed on March 2000 in the name of L'Oreal S. A. (Paris, FR)        8. U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,366 filed on October 2000 in the name of L'Oreal S. A. (Paris, FR)        9. U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,178 filed on January 2000 in the name of Pentel Kabushiki Kaisha (JP)        10. U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,101 filed on May 2000 in the name of Larry Rush Alexander (Evanston, Ill.)        11. U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,778 filed on January 2001 in the name of The Gillette Company (Boston, Mass.)        12. U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,450 filed on December 2000 in the name of Andrew Paice (GB)        13. U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,449 filed on November 2000 in the name of New Basics, Inc. (Boston, Mass.)        14. U.S. Design Pat. No. D442,331 filed on April 2000 in the name of New Basics, Inc. (Boston, Mass.)        15. U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,727 filed on April 2000 in the name of L'Oreal S. A. (Paris, FR)        16. U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,449 filed on May 2000 in the name of The Procter & Gamble Co.        17. U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,518 filed on August 1999 in the name of Michel Laporte (FR)        18. U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,557 filed on July 2000 in the name of Christine Yarbrough (Fla.)        19. U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,433 filed on February 2000 in the name of L'Oreal S. A. (Paris, FR)        20. U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,822 filed on August 1998 in the name of L'Oreal S. A. (Paris, FR)        21. U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,389 filed on December 1998 in the name of L'Oreal S. A. (Paris, FR)        22. U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,513 filed on February 1999 in the name of New Basics, Inc. (Boston, Mass.)        23. U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,157 filed on February 1999 in the name of L'Oreal S. A. (Paris, FR)        24. U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,230 filed on July 1998 in the name of Zarko Kajgana (Ohio)        25. U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,177 filed on February 1999 in the name of Montec Products Development Ltd. (Ill.)        26. U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,462 filed on April 1999 in the name of Rodney L. Schmittou (Calif.)        27. U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,881 filed on October 1998 in the name of L'Oreal S. A. (Paris, FR)        28. U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,866 filed on April 1998 in the name of Laila Magharehi (Calif.)        29. U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,314 filed on October 1998 in the name of Michelle R. Garrett (MD.)        30. U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,730 filed on December 1998 in the name of Kao Corporation (Tokyo, JP)        31. U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,902 filed on December 1996 in the name of Christine Nagy (N.Y.)        32. U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,480 filed on April 1996 in the name of Nada Tosto (N.Y.)        33. U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,065 filed on January 1997 in the name of Pakmax, Inc. (N.J.)        34. U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,368 filed on June 1995 in the name of Edvin G. Larsky (Va.)        35. U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,456 filed on January 1995 in the name of Edvin G. Larsky (Va.)        36. European Pat. No. 1,018,309 filed on July 2000 in the names of Pentel Kabushiki Kaisha (JP) and Taico Co. (JP)        
The above-mentioned conventional hair dyeing devices may be classified into several types of hair dyeing devices, which will be now described.
A first type of hair dyeing device, which is shown in FIG. 1a, is a device wherein a predetermined amount of dye (or paste) is taken out of each of dye containers 1, which are not connected to a main body 3 of the hair dyeing device, so that the dyes taken out of the dye containers 1 are mixed, the mixed dyes are filled into a cylinder 2 of the hair dyeing device, which is formed in the shape of a syringe or an airtight container, and a piston is pushed so that the mixed dyes are discharged through holes 4 defined in tines or through holes 4a defined between the tines.
A second type of hair dyeing device is a device wherein a predetermined amount of dye is taken out of each of dye containers 1, which are not connected to the hair dyeing device, so that the dyes taken out of the dye containers 1 are mixed, as in the first type of hair dyeing device, the mixed dyes are filled into a collapsible bag, which is pressed so that the mixed dyes are discharged through holes 4 defined in tines or through holes 4a defined between the tines.
A third type of hair dyeing device, which is shown in FIG. 1b, is a device wherein a predetermined amount of dye is taken out of each of dye containers 1, which are not connected to a main body 6 of the hair dyeing device, so that the dyes taken out of the dye containers 1 are mixed, as in the first or second type of hair dyeing device, the mixed dyes are filled into a cylinder 2 of the hair dyeing device, and the mixed dyes in the cylinder 2 are discharged through holes (not shown) defined in tines by means of a driving unit comprising motor 5, a gear 8, and a cam 9.
In each of the first to third types of hair dyeing devices with the above-stated constructions, a predetermined amount of dye must be taken out of each of the dye containers 1, which are not connected to the main body 3 or 6 the hair dyeing device, the dyes taken out of the dye containers 1 must be mixed by hand or other various means, and then the mixed dyes must be put into the cylinder 2 of the hair dyeing device. The above-mentioned process must be repeatedly carried out when the mixed dyes are insufficient or excessive during a dyeing operation. Furthermore, flow channels formed in the cylinder 2 or the tines may become clogged, but there is provided no means for opening the clogged flow channels. Consequently, hands, the hair dyeing devices, or the environment may be easily contaminated when the dyeing operation is carried out using any of the aforesaid hair dyeing devices.
A fourth type of hair dyeing device is a device wherein a spray can is attached to the outside of the hair dyeing device or attached to a main body of the hair dyeing device in such a manner that the spray can serves as a handle, so that a dye and a developer are sprayed due to the pressure of gas in the spray can. This type of hair dyeing device has advantages in that the hair dyeing device is not equipped with a cylinder and piston unit for discharging the dye and in that there is no necessity for taking out two dyes from the containers, mixing the taken-out dyes, and filling the mixed dyes into the cylinder of the hair dyeing device. However, the fourth type of hair dyeing device also has disadvantages in that the dye is scattered due to being aerosolized, and thus the skin of a user is contaminated, the aerosolized dye gets into the eyes of the user, or the environment is contaminated.
A fifth type of hair dyeing device is a device wherein dye is filled into a pressure container, which is in turn hermetically sealed, so that the dye is discharged through a hose by means of a pressure difference created when an external pressurized air is blown into the pressure container. Although no previous mixing process of dyes is required, the dye must be taken out of a dye container containing the dye and filled into the pressure container, and then the pressure container must be hermitically sealed. Furthermore, air may be introduced into the hose when the pressure container is shaken or tilted. As a result, the dye is dangerously spouted. Consequently, this type of hair dyeing device has disadvantages in that only a watery dye can be used in the hair dyeing device.
Moreover, the dye cannot be uniformly distributed by force through the holes defined in the tines according to the first to fifth types of hair dyeing devices and other conventional hair dyeing devices. Specifically, the dye is distributed to the respective holes through orifices and is then discharged through the holes, or the dye is distributed to the respective orifices and is then discharged through the orifices in all of the conventional hair dyeing devices. However, the dye is discharged through naturally opened holes since the respective dye holes communicate with each other. Consequently, the conventional hair dyeing devices are not capable of uniformly distributing in force the dye. Especially when the flow of the dye is obstructed or the holes are clogged, the dye is applied to the head of a user partially excessively and partially insufficiently since the flow rate of the dye passing through the obstructed holes is quite different from that of the dye passing through the remaining normal hole. As a result, the dye may run down the face of the user or splash.